skate journal: downtown boulder with dave, saul and eric (dec 10, 2017)
Met up with Dave at 10am on a nice Sunday at the Wells Fargo downtown. Dave was on a mission to try a scary boardslide. But first, we attempted to warm up. I was feeling pretty good, did a few backside axle stall on the rough ledge that felt cool, some basic qp tricks on the tiny transition. Dave was doing come cool transfers over the hip. Dave started warming up to his boardslide while I continued to warm up with a fun line. Ollie up the curb from the parking lot, axle stall the rough ledge, 270 rock ‘n roll transfer thing over the hip, slappy crook. It was fun. Randomly Saul hit us up and appeared a few minutes later with Eric. Rad. Dave was deep in trying the boardslide and kinda going crazy. Then a security truck came and sat there so we left. Dave and I ollied the 4 stair on the way to the tea house ledge. We posted up here for awhile. I was freaked out by the bar above the ledge and for good reason because I had a couple front 50 slip outs that almost clocked my chest on it. I would struggle. Got a few front 50s, some accidental slow front 5-0s, a few crook jibs and a very sloppy front 50 shove. I couldn’t get a halfcab noseslide. Doh. Dave was killing it. Front 50s, back 50s, front 50 nollie back 180 out, front 50 nollie shove out, crooks. It was rad seeing Saul skate it. He tried some stuff and got into front 180 50. Eric did front 50, maybe front smith and maybe front 50 180 out. Ha, you would think I would remember.
He was also trying the curb boardslide across the street which I started trying after awhile too. I was embarrassed by my baby steps. I went so slow at the first couple, but I did eventually get enough speed to slide the whole thing and it was fun. Eric almost had it too. Half the time I was too under the boardslide, he was too over it. If we could combine that would make for a lot of makes. Ha. I tried to line it out to the ledge. Boardslide, kickflip off the curb, front 50. Got into it, but we eventually moved on.
We hit the little round thing across from liquor mart. Dave wallied it backside and Eric and I did it frontside. Well, mine was more of an ollie bonk. Saul was hurting the parking blocks with slappys.
Next up was some random terrible mellow brick bank to wood ledge. I couldn’t get into a back axle stall to save my life. Dave was though. He did it frontside too and did a cool boardslide transfer in. I ended up at least making myself smile with a switch nose jib shove out. Saul had some rad powerslides on the bank.
We moved on, ended up near the dentist 5 where Dave did a ride on front 50 that was pretty nuts.
Then we tried to ollie the 5. Eric broke the ice. Dave did it first try. I got really mad at myself for being scared of it. But I would stick with a little line that made me happy enough to commit to it. Switch 180 up the curb, kickflip on flat, ollie the 5. It felt fun to jump down some stairs, but man my feet were hurting. The thin 212s don’t offer much protection.
We headed back to our cars and stuff. Those guys had some slappys on a curb for a bit, I sat and chilled.
Then I filmed Dave attempt the boardslide again. So gnar.
(setup 8.25″ null atomic cowboy, venture 5.25 awake lows, 50mm bones stf v1, 3 washers on the inside of each axle, venom 91a bushings, new balance numeric 212 green size 11, custom orthotic insole)